One and Only
by wildfire280
Summary: As they both prepare to move out to Los Angeles, Puck realizes that Mercedes is the only one he wants to share this new chapter of his life with. Now all he has to do is convince her.
1. One And Only

**Author's Note: **Found this one in my files recently. I must have started it as soon as I found out that Mercedes and Puck would both be going to LA. If I can't have Season 4 Samcedes, I'd better get my Puckcedes. 'Nuff said. Enjoy this preview chapter and review! I'll continue it as soon as I can.

_**Y**__**ou've been on my mind, I grow fonder every day**_

_**Lose myself in time just thinking of your face**_

"Move in with me."

Mercedes took out the last of her folders from her McKinley High locker and slowly closed the door to see who was behind it. "What are you talking about now, Noah?"

Puck straightened from leaning against the lockers with a carefree shrug. "You heard me, Mama. C'mon, we're both going to be in Los Angeles. It's a new city; we'll be starting our careers. We should be there for each other."

'We can be there for each other without living together." She glanced back at her locker and gave it a pat, suddenly filled with nostalgia. When her eyes lifted to meet Puck's once again, they were filled with a little bit of sadness. "Can't believe I'm actually going to miss McKinley. I remember when I couldn't wait to get out of this hellhole." One of Puck's eyebrows quirked upwards in amusement. Mercedes blinked. "What am I saying? I still can't wait. Let me get out of here." She started walking down the hall toward the west parking lot where Sam was waiting in his truck.

Picking up his bag from where it lay at his feet, Puck slung it over his shoulder and jogged to catch up with the short diva. "At least think about it."

Mercedes moved her folders to be nestled in the crook of one elbow and lifted her hand to pat him on the back. "You're only asking me because Finn's not going to live with you and you need a body to share the rent."

"That's not it."

"Oh, that's not it, huh?" She chuckled.

"No, that's not it." He gently tugged her to a stop, choosing to ignore the indignant expression that crossed her face before familiar indulgence took its place. "I don't want you to feel alone in that big city, and you don't _have_ to feel alone. We'll both be there. Why shouldn't we live together? You know we'd be good. You're my girl."

Mercedes glanced down at his hand, still curled around her wrist, and let out a snort. "First off, I'm Sam's girl. Secondly, I would _kill_ you if we lived in the same apartment, Noah. There's a reason why it never worked out between the two of us."

"It didn't work out between us because I started dumping dweebs into the dumpster again and you called me out. 'Cause you've always had my back, Mama. I respect you for that. I love you for that."

"Yeah, I've got your back. And having your back means that you can tell me all of your crazy plans and I can tell you when you've lost your mind." Mercedes grinned, punching his arm with her small fist. "I think that magic kiss Quinn gave you so you could pass your Geography exam went to your head."

"I want another chance with you. I want us to try…us again."

Mercedes froze and then took a halting step back, her grin fading bit by bit from her face. "You…What?" Puck didn't respond; his arms crossed against his chest. The grin completely gone, Mercedes stepped so close to him that she had to tilt her chin upwards to look him in the eye. "Don't do this."

"Mama, I'm just…"

"And don't call me that! You know how much Sam hates when you call me that!" She lowered her eyes to the floor for a moment while taking a deep breath. "You're used to saying stuff like that and girls falling over each other to give you what you want. But you've got the wrong one, Noah Puckerman, if you think that going back to what we had in that little week two years ago is worth giving up what I have now with Sam. You've got the wrong one!"

He started to respond but was interrupted by the sound of her phone loudly vibrating in her purse. She practically shoved her folders into his arms and opened up the side pocket to pull it out, unlocking the phone quickly to see who had sent a text. "It's Sam. I need to go."

Puck sighed. "Mercedes…"

She quickly held up a finger to stop him, retrieving her belongings without actually looking at his face. "He's your best friend, Noah…and I love him."

"Just…"

"I'll see you when I see you."

He winced as the heavy school doors closed with a loud thud behind her.

_**God only knows why it's taken me so long to let my doubts go**_

_**You're the only one that I want**_


	2. Team Puckerman

**Author's Note: **I think we all know there's no way Puck and Mercedes are moving in together without her father's permission. (Thanks for your interest in this story!)

"_Nope_. Can't do it. Won't do it."

"Oh come on, Pop Jones!" Puck lifted himself slightly from his seat in one of the cushioned chairs facing Robert Jones' office desk and scooted it close so he could prop up his arms. "I need your support on this. It won't work if I don't have you on Team Puckerman!"

Mercedes' father searched his face for a brief moment, taking a deep breath before leaning forward himself. "I've known you for a long time, Noah."

"Yes sir, you have."

"My wife and I have always been glad to give you our business and you do a mighty fine job cleaning our pool. We haven't had a single complaint."

"Thank you, sir."

"But you've got a reputation, Noah. There wasn't a day her sophomore year that Mercy didn't come home ranting and raving about something you said or did or threw all over her and her friends. Quinn Fabray also had quite a bit to say about you when she lived with us; that's understandable. Frankly, if I had to call you a word that is a summation of all I've heard about you throughout the years…you're a manwhore, son." Seeing the younger man wince, Robert Jones shook his head regretfully and reclined back in his office chair.

Puck sighed. "I haven't always treated girls right; yeah, I admit that. But I've changed. Ask anyone. I've changed. Ask _Mercedes_ and she'll tell you I've changed. I messed up with her. I realized how awesome she was too late. I realized how much she _meant_ to me too late. But now that we have a chance to make things work…!"

Robert fixed him with a cynical look that was so reminiscent of Mercedes that he had to fight the urge to grin. "Did something happen between Baby Girl and that Sam kid that I don't know about?"

"No." Puck crossed his arms against his chest sullenly. "They're still going strong."

"That's how it looked to me when he ate dinner with us the other night. And Mercy's mother informed me that she wasn't planning to break things off when she jets off to California. So how do you figure you have a chance? Speak quickly; I've got Maribel Lopez's lovely teeth to examine in less than an hour."

Puck sank back into his chair, taking in the diplomas and dentistry awards adorning the walls of the office before settling his sincere hazel gaze on Mercedes' father's face. "The reason why I started to change…_everything_ about myself and the way I treat people, it's your daughter, sir. She showed me that there's a way to be popular and still treat people right, that you can be nice to people even if they are dweebs." One of Robert's eyebrows rose, and Puck cleared his throat. "Sorry. I meant nerds. Anyway, if it wasn't for Mercedes I wouldn't have even given Zizes the time of day. And she was amazing."

"Mercy said that girl dumped you like a bag of McDonald's trash on the freeway."

"Okay yeah, that happened. And I know what you're gonna say next. I'm not rebounding on Mercedes. I swear I'm not. I had the entire year to think about what I wanted after McKinley. I told Shelby-that's Beth's adopted mom's name-that I would be there for Beth whenever she needs me. Pool cleaning business in Los Angeles, that's just a dream of mine. Even though it was mostly for the MILFs at first."

"The…what?"

"Um, forget that part." Puck waited for Robert to shrug it off before continuing. "I really care about Mercedes. I want to take care of her and be there for her. We're both going to be in Los Angeles. That's fate, Pop Jones. And I don't ignore fate."

Robert chuckled dryly. "You don't ignore fate and I don't ignore the fact that you're a reformed manwhore who wants to move in with my daughter." Puck sighed; he held up a finger. "I give you credit for being reformed. Now, if you were just asking my permission to look after my girl while she's a thousand miles away, my answer would be yes. She's gonna need someone to look after her."

"Thank you! That's what _I_ told her!"

"But you're not asking to simply look after her. You want to enter into a relationship with my daughter and move into an apartment with her while she's a thousand miles away. My _seventeen-year old_ daughter." Robert's eyebrows furrowed. "When you decided to come here today, you didn't really think I would agree to this, did you?"

Puck shrugged. "Mama Jones was pretty easy to convince."

Robert froze, staring at him with his mouth open. Finally, he blinked. "That woman thinks _Titanic_ is the most romantic movie in the world. Starts crying when the ship hits the iceberg and keeps on crying until the very end when the selfish white girl refuses to share the raft. I keep telling her if a ship is meant to sink, it's meant to sink."

"Sir…"

"The same is true for you and Mercy. Or Mercy and Sam. I'm not going to pick sides and I'm absolutely not going to condone you two moving in together." His hand lifted once more to stop Puck from speaking. "But I will condone you proving yourself to my family and especially to my daughter. I'm assuming that she and Sam are still together because she wasn't as easy to convince as her mother."

"Oh she is definitely not on Team Puckerman right now."

"That's my girl." Robert stood and, coming from behind his desk, placed a hand on Puck's shoulder. "Keep your head up, son. If I know my daughter at all, I know that she's got a good head on her shoulders. She'll make her choice between the two of you if there's a choice to be made. And you _will_ respect that choice."

Puck nodded as the hand on his shoulder squeezed. "Yes sir."

"Good." Robert walked to the door and grabbed his white coat from where it hung from a hook. "Now get out of my office. I've got patients to see."

**Leave me a review! Next chapter Sam finds out about Puck's request.**


	3. Worth Considering

**Author's Note: **Just a reminder that Amber Riley will be on The Glee Project tonight and if you have a twitter, her fans are going to try to trend #WeLoveSamcedes, #MyOnlyLoveSam, and #Amber Riley! Join them and tweet your love for the amazing Amber Riley!

_Quinn walked briskly down the halls of McKinley, narrowing an icy blue gaze at Puck as she passed him standing by his locker. He averted his gaze almost immediately and she raised an eyebrow. No snarky comments. No winks. Noah Puckerman was either hung-over or feeling regret over something. And she knew exactly what and who he was regretting. _

_ She spotted Mercedes as soon as she rounded the corner; the shorter girl was going into the auditorium's stage door. Quinn followed her inside, pushing back the velvet curtain with a wave of her hand. "Practicing for something?"_

_ Mercedes spun around from placing sheet music on top of the grand piano, one hand clutched to her chest in surprise. She gave a chuckle. "Yeah, practicing for a competition solo I'll probably never get to sing."_

_ "Mr. Schue would be crazy to not use you for Regionals."_

_ Mercedes nodded noncommittally; her brown eyes searched Quinn's. "You're not here to talk about how crazy Mr. Schue is. You heard about the breakup, didn't you?"_

_ Quinn walked the rest of the way toward her, reaching out to grasp Mercedes' hands. "Did he say something to hurt you? Did you catch him sexting Santana? Are you doing okay? I heard Coach screaming at Mr. Schue earlier about you leaving the Cheerios. I know this is your first…"_

_ "I'm fine, girl. Calm down." Shrugging, she took a seat beside Quinn on the piano bench. "I said my heart would be safe and my heart is safe. I broke things off with him, not the other way around."_

_ Leave it to Puckerman to ruin it. Quinn sighed exasperatedly. "So what did he do?"_

_ "Noah? He didn't really do anything. Noah was Noah." Mercedes rolled her eyes. "It's going around school that I dropped out of the Cheerios because I was heartbroken that he dumped me. Truth is, I just felt like I was losing myself in the uniform. I'm not meant to be popular." She held up a hand to stop Quinn's oncoming argument. "I know. People like me. I didn't mean it like that. I meant his kind of popular. Dissing people who are different. Feeling like I run McKinley just because I fit in with a certain crowd. It's not me."_

_ Quinn folded her arms just under her chest with a frown. "Why'd you break up with him?"_

_ "He's 'dumping dweebs' again." _

_ "Ah." Nodding her head, Quinn aimed a glare at the high ceiling of the auditorium. "Such an idiot."_

_ "Hey, you should try speak a little kinder about your baby daddy." Mercedes placed a calming hand on Quinn's rounded belly, her hand rising suddenly when the baby began moving around. "You have to give Noah some credit. He came to my house that night, you know."_

_ "To beg you to take him back?"_

_ Mercedes chuckled, eyebrows rising at the pessimism in the former cheerleader's voice. "He came to apologize. Said he wished he had been better at…us."_

_ "Puckerman said that? Noah Puckerman?"_

_ "It sure looked and sounded like him." Mercedes' lips turned upward slightly and she stood from the piano bench. "He has a side of him that no one really gets to see, Quinn. Or he doesn't want anyone to see it because if they do, he'll be vulnerable all over again. But I liked that side of Noah. And I wish I had gotten to know that side of him for a little longer before he got his popularity back."_

"Cynthia, I can't believe that boy fooled you into supporting him."

Cynthia gave her Lima-famous gumbo one more stir and raised the spoon to her lips for a small taste. Her hazel eyes narrowed at her husband when she lowered it once more. "Watch who you're calling a fool, Robert Jones. Noah Puckerman came to my office and poured his heart out to me about our daughter and how much he cares about her. He seemed very sincere."

"Of course he's sincere, woman! He _sincerely_ wants to deflower our baby girl!"

"We don't know that."

Robert watched her open a cabinet above the stove to pull back down the salt shaker. "Really? We don't know that?"

"No, we don't."

"A boy wants to share an apartment with Mercedes and, these are his words, 'take care of her'." Robert leaned back in his seat at the kitchen table with a snort. "Don't tell me that's not code for something."

After putting a dash more of salt into the large pot, Cynthia turned to face him completely, her hands settling on either side of her hips. "Not every boy has bad intentions. And you think you'd have a little more trust in your daughter to make good decisions about the company she keeps."

"I don't know about that. She had that girl who looks like a potato when she sings over here with Kurt the other night," he muttered.

"Her name is Rachel. And there is no need to be rude about the way that girl sings."

"That singing potato kept Mercy from having a competition solo for three years, Cynthia. You better be glad I didn't say anything when she came into this house."

His wife rolled her eyes and leaned against the kitchen counter. "Can we get back to the matter at hand?"

"Of course."

"It wouldn't be an awful idea to have someone close to Mercedes when she's going so far away. God knows I wish Samuel had graduated this year. He would have moved mountains to follow her to Los Angeles." She raised her eyes briefly to the ceiling where Sam and Mercedes were in her daughter's bedroom watching a movie. Probably the one with the blue people. Again.

Robert frowned. "I'd rather _no_ boys were following her anywhere. Let's pay for Santana Lopez to go to UCLA."

"Maribel's daughter? The one with the violent alter-ego?" Cynthia shook her head. "No."

"So you'd rather put your trust in a former juvenile delinquent?"

"All I'm saying is I'd sleep a little easier at night if I knew our baby was going to have someone there for her. Sharing an apartment with Noah Puckerman may not be an _ideal_ situation but the thought of her needing some help and no one she knows being around…I don't like that thought, Robert. I don't like that one bit."

Robert sighed at the concern in his wife's gaze. "I see your point."

"Good." Cynthia straightened and moved to return to her cooking at the sound of footsteps on the stairs, trying to relay the message that the conversation was over with a pointed look.

Unfortunately oblivious, Robert stood from his seat. "But I'm still not alright with the idea of Mercy sharing an apartment with him."

"Sharing an apartment with _who_?"

Mercedes and Sam were standing at the foot of the stairs; Mercedes slowly raised a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose between a finger and her thumb. "Oh Daddy…"

Sam tore his confused stare away from her father to aim it at her, brows furrowing deeply. "I thought you said you were going to have an apartment by yourself in LA."

She dropped her hand to reach out for his, giving it a slight squeeze. "Puck was just…_wondering_ if I would consider moving in with him."

Robert let out a short, dry chuckle. "Just wondering? That boy is campaigning."

"Puck? As in _Puckerman_?" Sam shook his head firmly from side to side. "Oh there is no way you're living with him, Mercy. Seriously? Are you thinking about saying yes to him?"

"No!" Mercedes glanced at her parents and then turned back to him. "It wouldn't be a good idea."

"Of _course_ it wouldn't be a good idea! It's Puck for heaven's…wait." Sam paused, looking down at her questioningly. "You're agreeing with me?"

She sighed. "Did you expect me not to?"

"You and Puck have always been cool. I'd think you'd at least think about it. Unless he's already planning something stupid like taking it as an opportunity to finally get with you but…" Sam's voice trailed off and his eyes narrowed. "_Wait_."

Robert walked over to stand behind the kitchen counter beside his wife who was watching the scene unfold with unveiled fascination. He nudged her in the side and whispered, "Think we should give them some privacy?"

She swatted his arm without looking away. "No. Hush."

Mercedes took Sam's other hand in her free one, stepping closer to him as they faced each other. "Nothing's going to change once I go to Los Angeles. I told you I'd wait for you and Noah Puckerman is _not_ going to be the one to change my mind about that."

"But he's tried to, hasn't he? What did Puck say? When he asked you to move in with him, what did he say?"

"He wants to try the relationship again but Sam…."

"That little…!" He pulled away from her and took out the keys to his truck from the back pocket of his jeans.

She moved quickly to stand between him and the door as he reached out for the doorknob. "Sam, don't do anything stupid. It doesn't even matter. I'm not moving in with him."

Sam's voice was calm. "Don't worry, Mercy. I'm not gonna do anything stupid." He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the forehead. "I'm just gonna swing over to Puck's place and we're gonna have a nice little chat about this whole situation."

"Good."

"And then I'm gonna kill him."

Mercedes watched him give a small wave to her parents and then jog down the porch steps to his truck sitting in their driveway, her brown eyes wide. Grabbing her purse from where she had tossed it near the doorway earlier that afternoon, she ran out to her own car.

Robert turned to his wife; she stared back at him in silence. He raised his eyebrows and moved to get bowls for the gumbo. "Ooop."

**Hope you liked this chapter. It was fun to write. Be sure to leave some reviews! (And tweet your love for Amber Riley tonight!)**


	4. Platonically Speaking

Home alone. His mother had taken an obnoxiously excited Madison to get some Cold Stone ice cream. There was a documentary on how Super Mario Brothers changed the world playing on Cartoon Network. This was the life. Puck finally heaved himself off of the couch and went into the kitchen to get a bottle of root beer from the fridge. He uncapped the bottle deftly. Part of him knew he would miss the simplicity and boredom that came with life in Lima. Sure, there were those moments of stupid drama and yeah, he couldn't wait to leave behind some of the memories the town held for him, but it was still home. "Home, sweet home," he murmured quietly, taking his time returning to the family room.

It was mid-July, there was just a little more than a month of time until the move to California. And he still didn't know where Mercedes stood with the whole apartment idea. Or the idea of him. Puck sighed to himself. Maybe he'd thought that he was having a streak of good luck when he'd suggested to her the idea of being together. After all, he passed the Geography test, graduated from McKinley against all odds. Maybe he had felt invincible.

Was it better to just forget the whole thing? Dissolve Team Puckerman? Hopefully Mrs. Jones and Maddie wouldn't be too disappointed. He took a long drink of the soda. Maybe it was better to quit now before Evans found out.

There was a series of knocks on the front door; Puck rolled his eyes exasperatedly, calling out as he went to answer it. "Mom, did you forget your wallet again?" He jerked open the door; his brows creased when he saw who was on the other side. "Hey, speak of the devil."

Sam's fist connected with his jaw so suddenly and so hard that he fell flat on his back. The blonde shook out his hand, inviting himself inside. "You son of a bitch."

Propping himself to lean back against his elbows, Puck opened and closed his mouth with a grimace. "Hello to you too."

"Sam, don't do this!" Mercedes appeared in the doorway; she let out a gasp at the sight of Puck on the ground and the blood starting to clot at the corner of his mouth.

Sam barely acknowledged her presence behind him before launching himself at his friend. Puck rolled out of the way so that Sam landed on the floor but still caught a knee in the leg. "Gah! Geez, who told you?"

Mercedes winced as Sam caught Puck by the shoulders and used the leverage to get on top of him. "I did." Sam punched him again. "Well…my dad did. And then I clarified the situation."

Puck lifted his uninjured leg to knee Sam in the crotch, causing the other boy to collapse momentarily on the other side of him. "Great job clarifying the situation then. Really great job." He held up a hand as Sam started to rise. "Evans. I just kneed you in the balls. I understand if you need a time-out."

Sam slowly lowered himself to lie on his back again; his voice was tight with pain. "Yeah, thanks."

"You two are acting like children." Mercedes ran into the kitchen and opened the freezer door, grabbing the first two things she saw.

Puck sat up with a groan, raising an eyebrow at what she handed him. "This is a box of Eggo Waffles."

"It's cold. Put it on your face." Mercedes knelt on the floor between the two boys. "You're lucky I brought you anything at all. This is your fault."

"I wasn't the one who came in like the Incredible Hulk!" Puck narrowed his eyes at Sam.

Sam gave him the look right back, taking the bag of frozen vegetables and gently holding it to his crotch. "Something tells me you _know_ you deserved it. Trying to move in with my girl, trying to _steal_ my girl…seriously, Puckerman? What the hell were you thinking?"

"Oh right, kill me because I want to be there for a friend in a strange, new city! I'm such a bad guy!"

"You just want to get in Mercy's pants!"

Mercedes covered her face with her hand. "Sam!"

"While inside Mercedes' pants is probably a magical, wonderful place to be…"

She immediately dropped her hand, reaching out to smack Puck across the back of his head. "Noah!"

He held up his hands in defense. "Wait a second! I was just gonna say that's not why I want to move in with you!"

Sam looked between the two of them, still apprehensive. "You're telling me that if you and Mercy moved in together, you wouldn't try and make a move on her?"

"No!" He turned to Mercedes at the sound of her scoff. "I wouldn't try anything unless she wanted me to."

"And that's not likely." She crossed her arms against her chest.

" 'Cedes is my girl…_platonically_ speaking," he corrected quickly, seeing the looks they gave him. "You know I wouldn't do anything to hurt her and I wouldn't let anything happen _to_ her, Evans."

No one else spoke. The only sound in the room was the television. Sam stared down at the bag of peas in his hand, deep in thought. Mercedes' gaze kept flitting from one boy to the other; Puck raised a hand to massage his sore jaw.

After a few minutes, Sam lifted his eyes to Puck's face. "I love her, Puckerman."

"I know. I do too." Mercedes looked to him sharply. "_Platonically_," he lied.

"It's bad enough she's going…I don't want to have to worry about the two of you hooking up."

Puck nodded. "It's not like that, man. Even if I did want to be with 'Cedes, it wouldn't just be for…that."

"She's amazing."

"Yeah. Incredible."

"Not a better girl out there."

"You don't have to tell _me_ that."

"Y'know, I'm actually sitting right here."

"We know." Sam patted Mercedes' leg and rose to his feet, reaching down a hand to help her up. He looked down at Puck for a moment and then offered him a hand as well. "Sorry about your face."

"Sorry about your junk."

He glanced over his shoulder at the television. "Is that the Super Mario documentary you were telling me about?"

"Yeah, it started about half an hour ago. Wanna watch the rest of it?"

"That'd be cool."

Mercedes stared after the two as they sat down on the couch together. "Are you two serious right now?"

Sam patted the space between them. "Take a load off. We'll get back to your house when it's over."

She shrugged, utterly defeated by the sheer lack of logic, and walked over to sit in between them. Almost seemed fitting.

**Summer of Junior Year**

_"Hey! Hey, Lil' Mama!" Puck pointed the garden hose in his hand at Maddie; she squealed his name in protest as water splashed all over her. "Put your shoes back on. This is not your pool." _

_ His little sister put her hands in her hips. "I can't even swim?"_

_ "No, you can't!" He continued rinsing the deck with a shrug. "Mom needs me to watch you, so I'm watching you. But you're not about to get me fired because you wanna swim. No way. I don't care if it is a freaking huge, awesome pool." _

_ Maddie just stood watching him. After a moment she sighed and turned to look at the house. "Is this a mansion or something?"_

_ Puck looked up from his work and followed her gaze, chuckling. "Or something." _

_ "I didn't know Dr. Jones was rich."_

_ "He's a dentist," Puck said as if that explained everything._

_ Her face showed that it clearly explained nothing. "Are all dentists rich, Noah?"_

_ His half-ass answer was interrupted by the sound of a door sliding open. Mercedes stood on the deck, clutching a book to her chest. "Sorry. Mom didn't say you were coming today. If you're still working, I can…"_

_ "Nah. It's good. Pool's cleaned. Deck's swept. I do awesome work."_

_ "Of course you do." She noticed the eight-year-old timidly looking up at her and smiled. "I'm guessing this is your sister. Madison, right?" _

_ Puck gestured between the two of them. "Hot Mama, meet Lil' Mama. You could probably teach each other a thing or two about back sass."_

_ As horrible as he was at detecting when something was wrong with a girl-he hadn't picked up on a single one of the hints Zizes kept dropping about their impending split and, in hindsight, they weren't all that subtle-Puck easily noticed that Mercedes' smile wasn't reaching her eyes. She motioned for Maddie to have a seat in one of the three pool chairs near the pool, sitting in the closest one while lifting the book in her hand with a little wave. "Just thought I'd get out of the house. Breathe the fresh air. Sit by the water. Read a good romance novel."_

_ "Classic summertime moping." Puck jogged over to the side of the house to turn off the hose and then jogged back to plop himself in her lap. _

_ "Oh God, Noah, why?"_

_ He threw an arm around her shoulders. "Please. Mom did this same thing last year when Nelson dumped her. Except instead of sitting by water she sat at a bar. And instead of reading she watched TV. But it's basically the same thing. What's bugging you?" She lowered her gaze to the newly cleaned deck; his eyes widened. "No way. Trouble in paradise with you and Sammy boy?"_

_ Mercedes looked at Maddie, at him, and then back at his sister again. "You look about the same size as my cousin. If you want, you can borrow one of her swimsuits and hop in the pool." _

_ Maddie's face lit up. "Really?"_

_ "Sure. Just go right inside. My mom's in the kitchen; she can show you where everything is."_

_ She jumped up from the pool chair and ran toward the glass sliding doors leading into the house, pausing only to look expectantly at Puck. He waved her on nonchalantly, not bothering to take his eyes off of Mercedes. "Knock yourself out."_

_ "Thanks! Be right back!"_

_ It was funny really. He hadn't been jealous at all when he'd found out about Sam dating his girl. After all, Evans was a good guy who'd just had a rough few months, and Mercedes was obviously one of the best girls in Lima. They both had a heart of gold. The dork and the diva. It seemed to work. Brows furrowing, Puck frowned down at her. "Got a question for you. Why'd you two try to hide it?"_

_ She didn't bother clarifying what he was talking about, choosing simply to shrug. "You know me. I don't like drama." _

_ "You didn't want Santana coming after you?"_

_ Mercedes tilted her head to the side. "Actually, I'm pretty sure 'Tana's over Sam. She's got eyes for a different blonde now."_

_ "Luke Michaels? But he plays hockey!"_

_ Her eyes narrowed as she stared at him. How was it that no one else caught on to how much Santana really cared about Brittany S. Pierce? Finally, she shook her head. "I don't even know who that is. Anyway, we just didn't want everyone in our business."_

_ "Oh yeah, I definitely got that vibe. Making out at Breadstix. That screams 'we're trying to keep this to ourselves'."_

_ Mercedes' cheeks warmed. He was one of the first glee club members to discover her and Sam. They'd been on a date, gotten caught up in each other. Puck had stood there sputtering his confusion at them for a full five minutes. "It was a good plan…anyway, he's gone now." _

_ "What do you mean he's gone? What did he do, insult one of your idols and you killed him?" Puck's jaw dropped in dramatic shock. "That's it, isn't it? Was it Whitney? Did he insult Whitney?"_

_ "He moved." Her voice was suddenly monotone and low. "To Kentucky of all places. Should be happy, right? His dad finally found a job. It's a good job too. I can't remember what he's gonna be doing but…" She sighed. "It's everything I've been praying for, Noah. Sam deserves to be happy. His family deserves to have something good happen to them. And now it is."_

_ Puck blinked; his arm tightened slightly around her so that her forehead rested against his chest. "He broke up with you before he went?"_

_ Mercedes let out a muffled noise that was somewhere between a laugh and a sob. He bent his head toward hers to make sure it wasn't the latter. "No. He wanted to stay together."_

_ "You didn't?"_

_ "I don't want to hold him back."_

_ "You? Hold someone back?" Puck gave his head a firm shake, his chin brushing the top of her head. "Trust me, Jones. Sammy boy can't do better than you. No one could."_

_ "Sweet words from the self-proclaimed Sex Shark," Mercedes said with a genuine chuckle. _

_ Maddie came bursting out of the house, immediately cannon-balling into the pool. Mercedes pressed her back against the pool chair to get as far away from the splashing water as possible. Puck grimaced as most of it got on him. "Watch the 'hawk!"_

_ "Sorry, Mercedes!"_

_ He retracted his arm from around the girl and pointed at his sister. "See that? No respect."_

_ That earned another chuckle. "Absolutely none." She raised a hand to flick his mohawk teasingly. "Thanks for letting me talk about this stuff. I think Quinn's the only other one to know that he's gone but she's kinda losing her mind right now."_

_ "Well, that's a huge surprise."_

_ "Be nice." Mercedes lowered her hand to his arm and gave him a gentle push. "And get off my legs, boy. I'm losing circulation."_

_ He grinned and stood, bending to retrieve her book from the deck. "You know what? If Sam doesn't fight to get you to reconsider this thing, he's slow."_

_ "But…"_

_ "Slower than slow." Puck placed the book into her hands. "You're worth fighting for, Jones. And don't you forget it."_

**Leave a review!**


	5. An Unlikely Ally

**Author's Note: **Thank you so much to my followers for hanging in there and waiting for an update. Between RA training, organization meetings, and the start of classes, it's been really hard to find time to dedicate to writing. So thank you! It means a lot. Please continue to review and let me know what you'd like to see from this story in the future (your suggestions do help!).

"So where'd you get the bruise?"

Puck jumped a bit even as he turned to see who was speaking to him, hastily throwing the items that he had been deciding over into his shopping cart. "Why do you always feel the need to sneak up on me, Fabray?"

Quinn raised a perfectly arched eyebrow at his use of her last name. She shrugged and walked forward until their carts were parallel to each other. "If I always seem like I'm sneaking up on you, it's because you're always acting guilty about something. So what did you do to get that bruise?"

"If you have to know...Evans clocked me."

"I'm not at all surprised." She leaned toward him a bit to look at what he had placed in his cart. "Pizza and Nachos Lunchables, Puckerman? Stocking up for your balanced diet in LA?"

He groaned and began walking away, not surprised at all when she followed him into the cereal aisle. "The Lunchables are for Maddie. And why are you not surprised? I don't always deserve getting my ass beat, you know."

"You did this time."

Great. Maybe they should just call an emergency meeting of the entire glee club and tell everyone the news at once. Puck watched her stretch her arm up to grab a box of Special K that was just out her reach and then stepped forward to hand it to her. "Mercedes told you."

"Of course she did."

"Oh, yeah, _of course_." Puck let out a short laugh. "You've been kissing Rachel's ass all year, Fabray. Since when did Mercedes start telling you stuff again?"

Quinn smacked his arm with the box of cereal before dropping it in her cart. "That's not fair. You know how important she is to me. She knows it too. Besides, _my_ affection for 'Cedes isn't the one being questioned. She has no idea where all of this is coming from right now."

"We're going to be moving…"

"To LA together," she interrupted with a roll of her eyes. _"Yes,_ Puck, I know. But that doesn't mean you can worm your way in the middle of her and Sam. He fought for her. All last year, he was fighting for her. And last time I checked, you were on Team Evans."

Puck's eyes widened at her wording. "Pop Jones told you about Team Puckerman, didn't he? That's a betrayal!"

Quinn stared at him for a moment before giving her head a quick shake. "I do eat dinner with the Joneses sometimes and Mr. Jones is like a dad to me. Of course we talked about Team Puckerman."

"And he is…?" His voice trailed off optimistically.

"_Not_ on Team Puckerman. Still."

"Damn it." Puck moved his cart out of the way so an elderly woman could walk between them, grinning apologetically for his language when she fixed him with an admonishing glare. He waited until she was further down the aisle to continue. "So what I'm getting out of this is…Sam can fight for Mercedes and I can't."

"You're coming into the fight just a little late." She raised a hand and held her thumb and index finger a centimeter apart. "Just a little."

"So no one thinks I'll win." He nodded to himself. "Fine. Challenge accepted."

Quinn glanced both ways down the aisle before walking toward him and giving him a little shove until he was standing with his back pressed against boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios. "This isn't a game, Puckerman. This is Mercedes. If you love her, you fight for her. But don't go into this thinking that you can be half-ass about 'Cedes and get away with hurting her. I can think of at least twenty people off of the top of my head in McKinley alone that love Mercedes Jones a hundred times more than they've ever loved you and I know last time you tried this, her heart was safe but if you hurt her _this_ time around…" Her green eyes narrowed coldly. "I will murder you."

This was a Quinn Fabray expression he was very familiar with. Puck sighed, placing his hands on her shoulders and took a step forward. "I can tell it's not gonna be easy convincing you people with words that I love Mercedes. So I'll show you." His gaze softened. "Her heart is safe with me, Fabray. Trust me. And hey, unlike Evans, I'm not going anywhere. Whether this all works out or not, Hot Mama's stuck with me."

"I'm sure that thought fills her with so much joy," Quinn deadpanned.

"Okay, I'm ignoring that. Gosh, you're snippy today."

"What can I say? I really hate when people mess with my girl."

"Well, I really hate that too. So no worries." He glanced at her cart and tilted his head to the side. "Ready for checkout?"

"In a second." Quinn placed her hands on her hips and stood there looking into his face for a moment. Trusting Noah Puckerman was something she generally avoided like the plague. He could be so immature sometimes and so self-centered. But, she had to admit, there was something about him that always seemed to change when Mercedes was in the picture. There was a sense of protectiveness, as though he really wouldn't let anything hurt her, and now that she thought about it, he had looked a bit regretful during Prom when he was standing by Becky toward the punch bowl, looking out at the crowd of dancing students and seeing Sam and Mercedes in each other's arms.

She let out a slow breath and turned to place her hands firmly on her shopping cart. "She deserves the best, Puck."

"Absolutely."

"I'm serious. Mercedes put up with way too much crap these past four years."

"Definitely not gonna argue that. Our girl's a saint."

"I'm not going to say that I'm on your side on this, Puck."

Curious, he moved to stand closer to his own cart. "But…?"

"It couldn't hurt for me to put in a good word."

"Wait." Puck's eyes narrowed and then widened. "You're going to be on Team Puckerman? _You_?"

Quinn began walking toward the front of the grocery store, glaring over her shoulder at him. "I'm _not_ saying that."

"But you are!" He stopped staring at her in disbelief and pumped his fist in the air. "Quinn Fabray, I _knew_ you believed in me!" They passed the elderly woman, and she raised white eyebrows at his enthusiasm.

"I believe in Mercedes' ability to make the right choice." Quinn led the way to the nearest check-out line, fixing him with a skeptical look before turning to take out the items in her cart. "The jury will probably always be out on you."

_**I dare you to let me be your, your one and only**_

_**Promise I'm worthy to hold in your arms**_


	6. Pebbles And Good Friends

**Author's Note: **It's time for a Mercedes/Puck-centric chapter! (Makes sense. This whole story is kinda about them.) I'm forever keeping my fingers crossed for Puckcedes in Season 4!

Mercedes adjusted the pillows against her bed's headboard and sat down on top of the covers. With one hand she grabbed a purple flower pen from her nightstand, with the other she reached out for her diary, which was lying next to her. She curled her legs up toward her chest so that she could prop the diary up while she wrote, opening the small book and slowly turning to the first empty page.

She scowled as she scanned her latest entry. The very first line was one word: **_Idiots_**. Sam and Noah making complete fools out of themselves. And over what? Noah wanting what he couldn't have? Sam holding onto her as long as he could? Mercedes grimaced. Her thoughts about their relationship had been a bit pessimistic than usual lately. They'd been far from each other before. And maybe not quite as far as Ohio was from California, but what did the exact distance matter when either way they couldn't be together? She tapped the decorative pen against her lips. This time she wouldn't be the one to break his heart. This time she refused to be the one to give up.

Of course, this time it wasn't just a question of the two of them figuring things out. Someone else was deciding to have a say in the matter. "Noah Puckerman, you're ruining everything," she muttered under her breath.

As soon as the words left her mouth, something smacked against her bedroom window, located on the wall directly beside her bed. Mercedes leaned forward with a frown. "What the hell?" She wasn't quite forward enough that her head was past her curtains, drawn back so that she could see the starless night sky, but she could just barely make out the shape of pebbles as they spattered against her window a second time. Her eyebrows furrowed. Sam was into stuff like this, romantic gestures like throwing pebbles against the girl's window to get her attention for random, dramatic declarations of love, but Sam definitely wasn't stupid enough to hazard the chance that one of the pebbles would…

There was a loud crack as a large pebble (really more like a rock) came through the bottom pane of her window and landed on her bed by her pink fluffy sock-covered toes. Immediately crawling forward, Mercedes glared at the small rock, then at the small hole it had left in her window, and finally, out at the boy with the brain small enough to think that throwing rocks at her house was a good idea.

Standing outside, Puck stared up at her. "I am so sorry," he mouthed.

"Baby girl, what was that?"

Mercedes mouthed, "I am going to kill you," down to Puck before turning to her father.

He was standing in her doorway, staring at her window. "Mercedes Jones, what…?"

She discreetly grabbed the pebble before he noticed it and placed it underneath her diary on the bed. "I don't know, Daddy. I think it was a golf ball."

"A golf ball?" Robert took a step forward. "A golf ball just came through your bedroom window?"

Mercedes bit her lower lip and nodded. "No biggie. No one's hurt. I love you. Good night."

There was a long pause as her father just stood there looking at her. Slowly, he bent down and began scouring the floor for the stray ball. "You know, I told Kent to talk to those boys of his. This is the second window they've broken. The last time nearly gave us heart attack."

"Wait…_what_?"

"It happened last year while you were in New York. Ball came through and nearly took off your mother's sleeping cap." Robert straightened. "Baby, I'm not seeing a golf ball in here."

She glanced outside. Puck was pacing back and forth in their backyard. "It must have rolled under something." Faking a yawn, Mercedes shrugged. "Well, I guess we can search for it tomorrow. I'm kind of tired so…"

"Get some sleep," Robert acquiesced with a nod. He turned to her door, turning back at the sound of her feet hitting the floor. "No need to get up. I could've turned off your light for you."

Mercedes shook her head, going to grab her robe hanging up on the door of her walk-in closet and sliding her feet into her slippers. "I've got to…go to the bathroom?"

Her father blinked at her and then nodded again. "Scared you so bad you've got to pee. I understand." He started back down the hall toward the master bedroom. "Good night, Mercy!"

"Good night, Daddy." As he closed his bedroom door behind himself, Mercedes quickly changed directions from going to the bathroom and jogged downstairs. Cool night air greeted her when she unlocked and opened the front door; carefully, she closed it behind herself so that it wouldn't make a sound.

Puck walked toward her as soon as she rounded the corner of the house to the backyard, his eyes wide. "How mad was Pop Jones?"

Mercedes placed her hands firmly on her hips. "Not mad at all considering he doesn't know who actually threw that rock into the house."

He stopped mid-step. "You…you didn't tell him it was me?"

"I _should_ have. You've been making all sorts of stupid mistakes lately. At this point, having my dad hit you upside the head might be just what you…" Puck covered the distance between them with a single step and crushed her to his chest. Mercedes let out an indignant grunt.

"You saved my life!"

"_Yeah_, I saved your life." Her arms were pinned between his chest and her own; she swatted uselessly at him. "Now get off me and explain why the hell you're here!"

Puck reluctantly let her go, taking a step back to give her space. "I thought we needed to talk."

"About what?"

He tilted his head to the side with a side. "Oh come on, don't…"

"Don't 'oh come on' me, Noah. What could you possibly have thought we'd need to talk about? I mean, if it's your goal this summer to make dealing with leaving Lima as hard as possible for me and Sam, don't worry; you're doing just fine."

"Babe…"

"Don't call me babe! Since when am I your babe?" Mercedes let out a loud groan. "Where is this coming from? Seriously. We've been good friends ever since sophomore year, Noah. _Really_ good friends. I was fine with that. I thought _you_ were fine with that." She furrowed her brows and walked forward. "Are you confused? Are you wondering if maybe you should've never let Lauren or Quinn go so…?"

"This has nothing to do with them." Puck frowned down at her. "Why's it always gotta be something else with you, Mama? Someone can't just see how amazing you are without having an ulterior motive or being confused?"

Mercedes raised a hand. "Don't make this into a self-esteem thing, boy. I have a right to be suspicious."

"Why? Because it's me?"

"You've calmed down at bit since we dated. That doesn't mean you don't tend to wander."

Puck opened his arms defensively. "Hey, for the last year or so, I've been a one-woman guy and…"

"Sorry, you went to Sugar's Valentine's Day party with _how_ many girls, Noah?"

"But they don't mean anything to me, 'Cedes. You know that. I just went with them for fun."

She nodded, smiling wryly. "And I'm supposed to know that _I'll_ mean something to you…that you wouldn't just be going with _me_ for fun?"

Puck lowered his gaze to the ground, kicked at a stray leaf lying near his foot, and then raised his gaze once again to her face. "No, it wouldn't just be for fun."

Mercedes' eyes narrowed into tiny slits as she searched his face for dishonesty. If there was one thing she had learned about Noah Puckerman, it was that he was a horrible liar. Things he kept bottled up always seemed to come spilling out eventually. So far, she had to admit, everything he was saying seemed heartfelt and genuine. But that didn't mean he was right. "Maybe we're better as friends," she said quietly.

"Like you and Evans are?"

Her eyes widened. "Hold up. _Excuse_ _me_?"

Puck couldn't help but smirk at the shock on her face. "You and Sam. Yeah, he fought for you, and yeah, he eventually got you back. But there's no real chemistry there. Even after he came back and everyone in Lima knew you two were back together, you never touched, barely sat together, never _sang_ together in front of the club…"

"Oh, so duets in front of Mr. Schue are how we're determining a couple's chemistry now? Finn and Rachel must be burnin' up!"

"I'm just saying if you two had the chemistry that _we_ have…" He gestured between the two of them with a finger. "Sammy boy wouldn't be able to keep his hands off of you."

Her breath caught as he placed a hand on the small of her back and gently brought her even closer. Mercedes stared up at him. "Noah…" His mouth was on hers before she could say other word. He immediately began coaxing her lips to part, grinning when the kiss deepened without hesitation. At his sudden movement, she had brought her hand up; now, it was pressed against his chest, just below his heart, her fingers curling and uncurling as the kiss continued.

They had only kissed once or twice during their time as a couple sophomore year. The kisses were short and chaste, almost as intimate as the pecks he gave her on the cheek still. This kiss was decidedly not chaste; his hands went to either side of her waist to keep her close, he heard her let out a soft groan.

A moment later, Puck silently and slowly brought his hand away from her back. His grin broadened as she rocked back on her heels, breathing deeply. They stood facing each other in her backyard; Mercedes lifted a hand to her mouth as though in shock. She probably was in shock.

Puck shrugged and began walking backwards in the direction of his car, which was parked out in front of her neighbor's house in case Mercedes' father had decided to look out his bedroom window. "You know, 'Cedes, you might be right after all."

She lowered her hand and cleared her throat, attempting to regain some composure. "About…?"

"The two of us." He winked and turned so that his back was to her, calling out over his shoulder, "Clearly, we're _so_ much better at being just friends."

Mercedes stood, still as a statue, in her backyard, keeping her eyes on him until he turned the corner of the house and she couldn't see him anymore. After a minute or so, she shoved her hands into her robe's pockets and made her way back inside.

Somehow she was the center of a love triangle. Again.

Damn.

**Be sure to follow this story and (especially if you already do follow "One and Only") _please_ review! It doesn't matter how long or short the review or even if you send it anonymously; I really appreciate them!**


	7. A Fighting Chance

_Puck thumped a fist on top of the piano, sick and tired of waiting for his duet partner to join him in the choir room. Maybe Jones had better things to do. Maybe she wasn't coming at all. It would be just his luck for one of the guys to be looking for him and find him waiting not-so patiently for Mercedes Jones. It would suck even harder if it got around that he had been stood up by Mercedes Jones even if it was just for some stupid duet rehearsal._

_ He heard her voice before he saw her round the corner into the open choir room, cellphone held to her ear and squawking about sobbing in some science class. Puck gave her a what-the-hell look which she barely glanced at, then planted his hands on his hips in frustration._

_ Mercedes turned her body to face him but her attention remained on the call. "No, no, I think that's a great idea!"_

_ He leaned toward her. "We're supposed to be rehearsing."_

_ She held up a hand, not even bothering to raise her eyes to his face. "I'm talking to Tina." There was a pause as the girl finally registered how annoyed he was. "I'll hit you back," she said into the phone, simultaneously ending the call and putting it back in her jeans' pocket. _

_ Puck watched her roll her eyes and raised his eyebrows. "Oh, you're annoyed? I've been here waiting for you!"_

_ "This is bad, dude." He frowned for a moment before he realized she was referring to whatever she and Tina had been moaning about. "All our ballads are terrible because we're all so distracted. We're all worried about Finn and Quinn and BabyGate...we can't even sing about our emotions because we're so worried about theirs."_

_ Great. It wasn't enough that he had to watch Finn and Quinn all day, now he had to hear about it. Puck groaned. "Who cares?"_

_ His question took Mercedes by surprise; confused, she looked from side to side. "Um, we all do. So we decided we're all gonna sing them a ballad to show them we've got their backs."_

_ "Are you kidding me? There's no way I'm singing to them." Mercedes simply looked back at him. Puck let out a louder groan and turned away. "It's not fair! Finn gets everything! He gets the sympathy; he gets the girl!" _

_ Mercedes eyed the ranting man-child in front of her in mild disgust. "Look, what is your problem?"_

_ "Finn's not the father!" Puck glanced down at the choir room floor, let his breathing slow, and then raised his gaze to Mercedes' face. "I am."_

_ Another pause. For someone packed with so much opinion, he was almost surprised that her face was so blank. Finally, Mercedes narrowed her eyes. "What?" _

_ Puck lowered his gaze again, not answering and not wanting to see what he knew was the expression coming on her face. It was probably the same expression Quinn had on her face when she realized who the father was. He could deal with the shock and anger. They were sophomores in high school. They were supposed to be worried about football games and cheerleading, not babies. It was the disappointment he couldn't deal with. Disappointment that it was him. Disappointment that the father of her babies was a Lima loser like him. _

_ Mercedes took another few moments to think and then stepped toward him. He could see the resolve strengthening in her eyes even as she walked. "Alright look. You need to get something through your mohawk real quick. You're the baby's daddy. It takes a hell of a lot more to be a father and that role's already been cast because Quinn chose Finn. You need to accept that and move on. 'Cause you have no business messing up that girl's life any more than you already have. You need to back off. You owe her at least that much."_

_ He watched her turn and begin to walk out of the choir room before calling out, "You think you've got me all figured out, don't you, Jones?"_

_ Mercedes stopped mid-step, glancing over her shoulder. Her lips pursed in some sort of smirk. "Oh honey, there's not that much to figure out." _

**Jones Residence**

"You can stop laughing now. Seriously. Stop. Cut it out. Damn girl, take a breath!" Santana grabbed hold of Quinn's arm, still cackling hysterically. Mercedes continued glowering at her. "You're being ridiculous."

Quinn rolled her eyes, carefully setting down her cup of herbal tea on the coffee table in front of the Jones' sofa so Santana wouldn't make her spill it everywhere. "All this time we've been telling you how desirable you are, 'Cedes. This is your second love triangle and you're still wondering about motives."

Mercedes shifted her glare to the blonde. "Because it's _Puck_!"

Her laughter finally quieting, Santana took a deep breath. "I just think it's hilarious that he broke your window. You should've let Papa Jones beat his ass."

"I really should have." She groaned. "But since I didn't, I have to think of a way to tell Sam that Puck kissed me without him committing murder."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Santana leaned forward so she could clearly see Mercedes where she sat on the other side of Quinn. "Why the hell would you tell Trouty?"

"Because…it's honest?"

Santana wrinkled her nose and shook her head.

"Bad idea?"

"_Worst_ idea."

**Chang Residence**

"What's the worst that could happen if they move in together?" Mike glanced over at Sam when there was only silence coming from the other side of the couch. "Oh seriously? You're honest-to-God worried about Puck?"

Sam sighed. "Wouldn't you be worried if you found out that Artie was going to follow Tina wherever she's planning on going to school?"

"Artie would never…"

"I thought Puck would never do this. But I saw the way he looked at her, I mean, _finally_ saw it. They only dated for like a week sophomore year but there's love there. Besides, he _told_ her that he wanted her back."

Mike frowned. "I thought you said he denied it."

Sam nodded. "He said it was all platonic. We know Puck. There's not a platonic bone in his body."

"I still say there's nothing to worry about." Mike reached to his side to grab the remote and once again turn up the volume on the football game they had been watching. "And if you ask me, Puck's been pretty platonic with all of the girls these past couple years. He didn't even try anything with 'Cedes after you left for Kentucky. Believe me, Tina and I were over at her house all the time trying to cheer her up. Puck showed up a couple times but it was usually only for Mama Jones' cooking. Have you had that woman's gumbo?"

"Yeah, it's really good."

"It's the best-tasting dish in Lima. Even better than my mom's chow mein."

The two boys fell silent for a long moment. Sam finally spoke, his voice a quiet whisper. "Do you think there's a chance that Puck would want Mercedes back just so he could have a lifetime supply of Mama Jones' gumbo?"

Mike blinked at the television screen and slowly turned his face to stare at his best friend. "No, Sam. I don't think there's a chance of that at all."

**Jones Residence**

Quinn stretched out her legs and smoothed out her skirt. "Santana, Mercedes is not you. She has a moral compass. Of course she wants to tell Sam that Puck came over here and kissed her."

Santana smirked. "And you think that's what she should do."

"I don't think lying is ever the best course of action."

"Since _when_?" When Quinn opened her mouth to reply, Santana held up a hand. "Exactly. This is the girl who told Finn that he got her pregnant via hot tub. You're the worst liar in Lima. Take all the seats."

Quinn slumped back on the sofa; Mercedes sighed. "I don't know you two got it together long enough to vote Rachel Berry prom queen."

Santana rolled her eyes. "I blame the alcohol Britt and I drank before prom."

Quinn simply nodded. "And I just blame her."

"Whatever. Mercedes, did you tell that grown man you dated that you and Sam kissed during Michael week?"

Mercedes groaned. "For the last time, 'Tana, his name is Shane and he's our age."

"The creepy-ass moustache says otherwise but that's not the point. Did you tell him about the kiss?"

"No!" Mercedes wrapped her arms around herself and shrugged. "It…The kiss wasn't planned. It was…innocent. It was all very innocent."

"So Trouty yelling that he was gonna get you back in the middle of the hallway was innocent? You think he changed the sign in the auditorium and bribed band kids to play for you two because he just wanted to hug after you sang?" Santana chuckled. "Do you still have that _So You're A Two-Timin' Ho_ brochure that Pillsbury gave you?"

Mercedes reached over and slapped her arm. "That's _not_ funny."

**Chang Residence**

Mike glanced around to make sure his mother wasn't around and lifted his legs to prop his feet up on the glass coffee table in front of the couch. "You know, you could always just ask Puck again. Without Mercedes being right there and without punching him in the face, that is."

Sam scoffed, slumping back in the chair. "Pretty sure I'd be _more_ likely to punch him in the face if Mercedes wasn't there. Cocky little son of a…"

"Hey! He's still your friend, remember?"

"Yeah, I'm still trying to get over the fact that my friend asked my girlfriend to go out with him again."

"But Mercedes isn't interested."

"No, she isn't interested." Sam's head tilted to the side. "At least, she doesn't _seem_ interested. There's history there, Mike. She didn't break up with Puck because there wasn't any chemistry. She broke up with him because he used to be a complete dick. Now that Puck's not as big of a dick…meh, there's hope for him."

Mike began to argue and then paused. Puck-before-dating-Mercedes-Jones was undeniably a bigger douche than Puck-after-dating-Mercedes-Jones. She had clearly had an impact on him. Not only that, she was one of the few people everyone knew Puck would talk to if he was having a problem.

Sam watched Mike stare into space deep in thought and groaned. "Great. Now I've convinced _you_ that he has a chance with her. That's just…peachy."

"I was just thinking that Puck respects Mercedes. He listens to Mercedes." Mike folded his arms across his chest. "You know he'll respect her final decision. Until she makes that final decision…yeah, man, you might have a fight on your hands."

The corner of Sam's mouth tilted upward in a wry grin. "Seems like fighting for Mercedes is all I do nowadays. But hey, if it's a fight Noah Puckerman wants, it's a fight Noah Puckerman will get."

**Jones Residence**

"I just don't want another fight over me. They're friends and I don't want this to ruin everything between them." All three girls' phones chirped with a tweet alert. Mercedes made no move to reach for her phone; Santana and Quinn dove for theirs. She glanced over at them after a tense silence fell over the group. "What? Did Brittany tweet another provocative Lord Tubbington video?"

The other two girls simply exchanged a look before Quinn held out her phone for Mercedes to see. "Sam just tweeted."

She took the phone from her with a dismissive shrug. "He's always tweeting. I had to tell him, 'Sam, not everyone cares that you ate a roast beef sandwich for…'" Her voice trailed off as she focused on the phone's screen.

**Sam Evans ** SamEvansQB

Bring it.

Santana tightened her ponytail and nudged Quinn in the side. "_Dios mio_, girls. This summer is going to be entertaining after all."


	8. Team White Chocolate

**Author's Note: **Special thanks to everyone who has left reviews and to everyone who has been waiting for an update to this story. I'm continuing it for you! This chapter is kind of short but it serves to accelerate us to Puck and Sam's last showdown before Mercedes makes a decision about the LA apartment.

"Let me guess, you have an insanely clever team name too."

Sam blinked and glanced from side to side in confusion before focusing again on Robert Jones' face and nodding. The older man sighed, motioning toward the small rinsing bowl directly beside Sam's head as he cranked up the chair to a sitting position. "Rinse and spit. You know I'm getting real tired of you boys coming in here trying to get me to pick sides concerning my baby girl's love life. Even if you _are_ paying me."

Sam spat into the bowl and began filling up a plastic cup with water for rinsing. He frowned. "Wait...Puckerman's always gone to some guy on West Elm Street. He switched dentists? How many times has he seen you?"

"Can't get rid of him." Robert Jones stood from his seat. "I'm lucky to get most patients in here every six months. I've never seen a patient every two weeks before. That boy's teeth are sparkling."

Every two weeks. He was coming and pleading his case to Mercedes' father every two weeks. Sam swirled the water in his mouth vigorously and spit again. "That's an unfair advantage."

"Yeah, Mercedes always was attracted to a nice, sparkling smile." Robert's gaze hardened. "But I hope you're not suggesting that him coming here is like an advantage for some game because my daughter's heart is not something to be played with or won." He chuckled when he saw the doubt and fear enter Sam's eyes. "That insanely clever team name, let me hear it."

"Team White Chocolate. Seemed appropriate."

There was silence as Robert just stared at him, eyes narrowed incredulously. "It seemed appropriate? Son, that's a stripper name."

"Um…"

"Maybe you should just go simple. Team Evans. I think Quinn Fabray made that up a while ago. I'm sure she wouldn't mind using it even if she _is_ on Noah's side for now."

"Quinn Fabray?" Robert undid the cloth that was pinned around Sam's neck, and Sam slowly stood from the dentist chair. "Quinn Fabray is on Puckerman's side? _Puckerman's_ side? Are you kidding me?"

Robert shrugged. "Does that matter? Mercedes is still dating you." He turned away toward the counter that ran along the wall to quickly sign something at the bottom of Sam's dental chart. "I'm not sure what you're worried about."

"When I came back from Kentucky, I had everyone's support, Mr. Jones. No one liked Shane. It helped that his moustache really creeped Santana out."

"Creeped me out too. He looked my age," Robert muttered under his breath.

"Exactly! And 'Cedes wasn't over me. What if…what if she's not over Puck?" Another long stare. Sam walked over to the counter and leaned back against it. "He wants to move in with her. She has less than a month to decide whether or not to share an apartment." His eyes narrowed. "Maybe Santana's creeped out by that mohawk he's got on his head. It's been looking pretty raggedy lately."

"It has. But I don't think that's how you should handle the situation." Now it was Sam's turn to stare. Robert waited a bit in uncomfortable silence before asking, "Do I really need to help you with this? Can't I just clean your teeth? We could call it a day."

Sam crossed his arms against his chest. "Your assistance would be appreciated, Mr. Jones."

The older man sighed and copied his action of leaning on the counter. "Like I keep telling Noah, the only person either of you needs on your side is Mercedes. You have less than a month to convince my daughter that your relationship is worth keeping while she's starting a new life in California. I suggest you spend that time wisely." He glanced pointedly at the hall that would lead to his dental office's exit.

"When you say 'spend that time wisely', do you mean…?"

"Boy, get out of my office so I can see other patients and stop dealing with this soap opera!"

"Yes sir. Sorry." Sam pushed off of the counter and walked out of the room. "See you at dinner!"

Dinner.

Robert groaned. He should've known there was something shifty going on when Cynthia invited Noah Puckerman to dinner the day before. That woman had a plan. He shook his head and prepared for his next patient. Hopefully, she knew exactly what kind of situation she was creating.

**Next up: Pop Jones doesn't get to enjoy his dinner and Mercedes is forced to make a decision. (Who do _you_ want her to choose and why?)**


End file.
